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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Slice of Life: Reflections on a Book Study.

December 29th. That was the last time I wrote a Slice. I'm slowly returning back to things that challenge me professionally, now that graduate work is becoming more of a distant memory. Writing and reflecting regularly is one of those things.

This past fall, I was blessed to join a new staff. Naturally, it was books that started to bring me closer to many of the teachers. Late in the fall, we decided to form a book study. Today, as we ride out a snow day, the team graciously gave me permission to reflect on our work and thinking as we read this book.

We are a Pre-K through 8th grade staff. This book was perfect for us to begin with. Everyone had something to share and contribute. This book had so much to discuss!

We talked a ton about Mindset! We loved discussing embracing where you are and going from there. There was much discussion about starting where you are, going slow, and trying one thing at a time. This is such a gracious group of educators, as a new staff member, this was encouraging as I get my feet under me. I loved hearing teachers talk about how and when they make time to play and try out new technology resources. Here are just a few we shared:

*Plickers

*Wonderopolis

*SeeSaw

*Google Classroom

But then we took this book and started applying it to fit us. I loved it. Being in a PreK-8 building, the possibilities are endless. Imagine Jr. High Students modeling and teaching our young friends digital citizenship. This idea of mentoring with the Jr. High students went on for quite a bit. We discussed blogging, and pairing Jr. High students with younger students to offer comments on blogs and model this digital piece of writing. It should be noted here that our "Big Kids" are 1 to 1. Our "Littles" aren't, but this piece wasn't a discouragement or a road block. Right away, the teachers went into "How Can It Work" mode and talked about what it can look like in our school. Imagine the impact with me on how this sets the tone for our budding writers, and how it sets the tone for students who are increasingly becoming independent in their technology use. What an awesome way to begin to Amplify our Student Voices.

This little blog post is just a glimpse into the highlights of our conversations.

I loved Ampify! It was a great way to connect with a new staff and talk about technology practices. If you haven't, get the book!